Motor-vehicle.



B. BROWER. MOTOR VEHICLE. APPLICATION FILED MAY gs, 190a.

907,10&, Patented Dec. 15, 1908. a

HEP c flf/feksf 50082113 7 l O sponsible for many of the automobile acci- UNITED STATES ra'rnnr onnrcn.

BLOOMFIELD BROWER; OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T O THEODORE A.

' WYEBER. OF NEW YORK, N. Y. 1

Mo'ron-vniiioLE.

Application filed May 23,

,T 0 all whom it may concern:

' hicles, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accoi'npanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This'invention relates to improvements in those motor vehicles, the wheels of which are provided with rubber tires. Such tires not only perform their intended function of cushioning the wheels of the vehicle but also have the eiiect of electrically insulating the vehicle from the ground, and this insulation, I have discovered, result::, while the vehicle is in motion, in certain injurious eii'ccts to the occupants of the vehicle, whichit is the object of the present invention to obviate.

While a rubber-tired vehicle is in motion, particularly if it be moving at a very rapid pace, a large amount of electricity is generated in the vehicle, due to its. movement, and, possibly also, to its vibration, and from the same causes electricity may be said to be generatedin the body of the occupants. As

the vehicle is insulated by means of its rub- Q- ber tires, there is no outlet for the discharge from the vehicle of the electricity so generated, and, as a result, the electricity generated in thevehicle itself'is transmitted to the occupants of the vehicle, and particularly the occupant who happens to be at the time chauffeur, and whole, therefore, more directly in contact with the metal parts of the vehicle. Electricity so generated in and transmitted to the body of the occupants I have .discovered has-a very serious eiiect upon the nervous system of ithe occupants, and particularly the chauffeur, in that, accordingto my observation, a high nervous tension or strain is developed in the occupants of the vehicle which not only produces odily fatigue continuing long after the occupants leave the vehicle, but also produces what maybe described as a mental restlessness and recklessness, which may, and probably will, permanently afi'ectthe health of the occupants, and which is, I believe, re-

dents, because such a mental condition nat-. urally must upset the judgment of the chauffeur inthe driving and manipulation .of the vehicle. I have discoveredthat this very Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 15, race. 1906. Seria1No. 318,309. i

3 serious difficulty may be-entirely remedied in l these. rubber-tired motor-vehicles by electrically connecting such vehicles with the ground so that electricity generated therein or in the occupants by the movement of the 1 vehicle or its vibration may be discharged 1 into the ground and the occupants of the vehii cle thereby relieved entirely from it's ill effects. Many di'tferent methods of so eleci trically connecting the vehicle with the ground-may be resorted to, but the methods which I prefer and which I have-found effective in practice are those illustrated in the I accompanying drawing,in Which i Figure 1 is a rear view ofan automobile provided with one such means'for electrically connecting it with the ground. Fig. 2 is a section of the same taken through the rear axle; and Fig. 3 illustrates a modification which will be hereinafter described.

Referrin to said drawing, A represents an automo ile body, B its axle, and C- the 1 rubber tires of its wheels.- The means for electrically connecting the automobile with l the ground for the urposcs of this invention consists of a meta chain D secured at its 'upperend'by a metal clip Eto the axle B an provided at its lower end with a metal 3 trailer. F consisting preferably of a steel rod of about three-quarters of an inch'in diameter. The lower end of this trailer F is pref- I erably hardened and also tapered so as to.

I insure good contact between it and. the ground should the latter be hard.- To avoid rattling of the chain D, its links may be tied together,if desired, in such a way to prevent such rattling and at the same time preserve the necessar flexibility 0f the chain, so that it may iel and maintain contact between direction. the vehicle be moved. When a motorvehicle is so electrically connected to the ground by a chain'andtrailer D, F, th a my observation, entirely relieved from the ill eflects of electricity generated, in the vehicle, such electricity being discharged from the vehicle into the ground through the circuit provided by the chain andtrai'ler D, F connecting the axle of the vehicle with the ground. Means trailing along the ground, like trailer F, while the vehicle is moving, is preferred because I'have reason to believe that with such a trailing contact the best results are obtained.

the trai erand the. ground no matter in whatoccupants of the vehicle are, according to In the modification illustrated in Fig. 3, a water tank G is employed which is con i 1 nected by a metal clip 11' with the axle of the Vehicle and is provided at its lower end with a tube 1 having a cock J for regulating the flow of the water therethrough from the tank G. Thelower end of this tube 1 is designed to trail along the ground, and, in

' order to permit it to yieldingly engage the the present invention.

such construction as this may be preferred over that illustrated'in Figs. 1 and 2 for the reason-that not.only is a metallic circuit (consisting of the clip H, tank G and tube I) provided between the vehicle axle and the ground, but a circuit consisting of running water, which may be more effective in providing for the rapid discharge of the electricity generated in the vehicle.

-. .As before indicated, many modifications and changes may be made in the circuit employed for connecting the vehicle with ground without departing from the s irit of It is also to e understood that wherever reference is made to rubber tires, it is intended to include tires of other materials which, like rubber, have the effect of electrically insulating the motor vehicle from the ground.

What I claim 1. The combination with a motor vehicle electrically insulated from the ground, of means for electrically connecting it with the ground for the discharge of electricity generated in the vehicle.

2. The combination with a motor vehicle electrically insulated from the ground, of means connected with the vehicle and adapted to yieldingly engage the ground for the purpose of electrically connecting the vehicle with the ground.

3. The combination with a motor vehicle electrically insulated from the ground, of means connected with the vehicle and adapted to yieldingly engage the ground in all directions in which the vehicle maybe moved for the purpose of electrically connecting the vehicle with the ground.

4. The combination with a motor vehicle f electrically insulated from the ground, of

means connected with the vehicle and adapted to trail along the ground for the.

BLOOMFIELD BROWER.

Witnesses E. F. J. GREBLE, J. GRAVES. 

